I absolutely love this time of the year in the Russian River Valley! The weather has chilled, the wine grapes are all harvested, and there are still a few apples clinging to the trees here and there. This recipe came together because I was recently visiting a dear friend with some amazing old heirloom Gravenstein apple trees in her yard! I came home with a big basket filled with fresh late-season fruit. This simple recipe does not require any fancy crust design skills, just a large spring-form pan to press the crust into. The added dates in the crumble topping provide a deep caramel flavor that simply can't be beat. One more thing, just in case I forgot to mention it: This pie is free of refined sugars! Simply sweet apples, local honey, and dates!​

Freshly-prepared buttery crust ready to roll...

Be sure to roll out the crust large enough to go up the sides of your spring-form pan...

The crust is all pressed in and ready to fill. Place the crust in the fridge while you prepare the fruit...

The apples are peeled and cored. Time for the next step...

Freshly-grated cinnamon for the apples...

Be sure to grind the cinnamon nice and smooth for maximum fragrance and flavor! :)

Combine the sliced apples and cinnamon with some local honey...

Prepare the crumble topping while the apples are absorbing the cinnamon and honey flavors...

The crumble topping is ready to go! Time for the oven...

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat! :)

Rustic Deep Dish Honey Apple Pie with Date and Oat Crumble Topping

Place the flour in the bowl of your mixer. Using the paddle attachment begin mixing the flour on medium-low speed. Dice the chilled butter and begin adding it to the flour as it continues to turn in the bowl. Gradually increase the speed on the mixer, and continue adding the butter until it is all in the bowl. The butter and flour will begin to combine into a crumbly texture. Add a bit of the cold water to the mixture as it is turning in the bowl. The mixture will begin to form a loose ball of dough. Shut off the mixer when this happens, and turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap the dough in plastic. Place it in the fridge to chill until you're ready to roll it!

​Prepare the crumble topping and place in the fridge to keep chilled until ready for use...​​Date and Oat Crumble Topping

Combine all of the crumble topping ingredients in your stand mixer fitted with the paddle, and mix on high speed until the ingredients just start to come together. Be sure not to over-mix everything. You do not want the gluten in the flour to develop. A brief mixing period keeps your topping nice and crumbly!

Apple Filling

Peel and slice enough apples to fill your spring-form pan.Place them in a large mixing bowl. I used about 3 cups of peeled and sliced apples.Add the freshly-ground cinnamon (I used about 2 tablespoons of freshly-ground cinnamon)Toss the apples and cinnamon with some quality local honey and 1 Tbsp of tapioca starch or wheat flour for a bit of thickening.

​*I added about 1/2 cup of honey to the apples. Your taste may vary, depending on the sweetness of the apples used. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your liking.

Assembly Directions:Prepare the pie crust, roll it out and press it into a spring-form pan and place it in the fridge to chill.Prepare the crumble topping and place in the fridge to keep chilled.Prepare the apple filling.Place the apple filling evenly into your chilled crust.Spread the crumble topping evenly over the top of the pie.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour until everything is nice and bubbly. :)Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat. Enjoy!​

This recipe actually began a couple of years ago. Back then, I had some fresh local pears that I needed to use up. I also had some plain white rum handy. I decided to combine the rum and the pears with a cinnamon stick and pack it away in a jar on my kitchen shelf. There it sat for about two seasons... Today, it was time to crack it open and see how everything was doing. Honestly, I was expecting some mushy fruit. To my surprise, everything turned out great. All of the fruit had a firm texture and quite a boozy rum wallop!

Boozy rum-soaked pears in waiting...

Pears saturated in cinnamon-spiked rum...

A sprinkling of brown sugar over the layer of pears...

A crumble topping with a dash of cinnamon. Into the oven we go... :)

Time to cool. The smell is amazing!

​Boozy Pear Tart!

Crumb Topping:1/2 cup butter1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 cup flourCombine the butter, brown sugar, and flour in your mixer fitted with the paddle.Mix on high speed until everything just begins to combine.​Directions:Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly across the bottom of the prepared unbaked tart crust.Layer the sliced fruit over the brown sugar.​Sprinkle the prepared crumb topping over the entire tart and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour.

* I don't expect most folks to have any boozy rum-soaked pears lying around. Feel free to substitute your favorite canned pears and rum. I have not tried this, but it would be worth a shot. Please be sure to share with me if you decide to give it a try! :)

The quince looks kinda like an apple, it is fuzzy like a peach, and has a firm texture like an unripe pear. The fragrance is like a bunch of freshly-picked roses! The fruit even transforms into a gorgeous shade of pink when cooked. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this fruit in the yard of a dear friend of mine a few years ago. Her tree produces an abundant crop of quince each season. Every year she kindly and generously shares her harvest with me. Of course, one of my favorite things to do with quince is blend them with apples to make an amazing pie! (here's the link)This season, I had enough quince to not only make a pie, but I also had enough to make an amazing jam and some nice quince syrup...​

Freshly-sliced quince...

All peeled, rinsed and diced...

If you're using the stovetop, add just enough water to keep everything from sticking. Place on low flame...

Time to break out the classic Crock Pot! This is my preferred method. It is easier to manage the heat. The stovetop requires much more vigilance to keep things from burning.

This is about an hour into the cooking process. I have added some local blackberry honey to sweeten things up just a bit. The transformation is beginning...

Just over two hours at a low simmer and here we are! The fragrance is amazing!

Fresh homemade quince jam!

Nothing goes to waste! The peel is very high in pectin. Time to make some quince syrup...

After a gentle simmer for about an hour, the rosy syrup is ready...

I got almost a full liter of quince syrup! This stuff goes great on pancakes or waffles. It is also really good with club soda or create your own cocktail...

​Quince Jam and Syrup

Quince jam is very simple to prepare. (See pics above)​Simply clean, peel, core, and slice the fruit. Add enough water to cover the fruit to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.Bring everything to a low simmer.Add your choice of sweetener to taste. I chose local blackberry honey because I think it compliments the flavor of the quince.Fresh lemon or orange zest is also a nice touch.At this point your jam can be canned and processed or simply kept in the refrigerator until gone! The jam will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. It never lasts that long in my house!

The quince syrup is made by placing the cleaned peel in a pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a low simmer. Add your choice of sweetener and simmer until thickened.

Notes:​Quince is very high in pectin. This means that your jam and syrup will not require any additional thickening agents.I prefer to prepare the quince jam in a "Crock Pot" slow cooker in order to keep the jam from scalding.

This is my favorite time of the year here in the Russian River Valley! All of the surrounding vineyards, orchards, and family farms are bursting with fresh fruit! The local produce stands are filled with everything under the sun and more. Here are some of my favorite pics from around this beautiful and amazing valley...​

Fresh Gravenstein apples...​This heirloom variety of apple is kinda unique to the area. They were brought here by Russian settlers way back in the early 1800's. These apples make the absolute best pies! In my humble opinion, no other apple comes close. Gravenstein apples are the perfect balance of sweet and tart with an amazing floral fragrance that will make your kitchen smell amazing. Imagine the smell of roses and apples! That's a Gravenstein apple!

Whenever I eat a bowl of popcorn, I simply love those dark un-popped kernels at the bottom of the bowl. They are so crispy and crunchy. The corn flavor is so intense! This recipe brings all of that great toasted corn flavor in abundance.​Click "Read More" for the details... :)

Last night we had to say goodbye to our sweet Daisy. We adopted her fifteen years ago in the Blue Ridge mountains of Northern Georgia. She was just a little pup back then. Nobody warns you how attached you can become to these little creatures. Over the years, she travelled with us on many adventures. She loved the outdoors. Her favorite place of all was the beach where she would chase the seagulls! She was the subject of countless photos! I'm truly gonna miss her at my side. I put together this photo collection to share some of her best moments with the family. This photo tribute is for you Daisy! Click "Read More" for more pics...

This is the perfect time of the year to make Lemon Charlottes! The Meyer lemons are bursting out everywhere. After all, who would not love a delicate sponge cake with a rich lemon custard baked inside? This recipe is a special request for a dear family friend. This is one of her favorite recipes of mine. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have over the years. This one is for you Bunnie! God bless you and your family! Click "Read More" below for the details!

Sorry for the bad pun, but I didn't know how to title this story. It was the first thing that popped into my head. Annette and the kids laughed, so I am sticking with it. Today's story is about this amazing treasure that my lovely wife and I discovered at our favorite local salvage yard. Enjoy the pics! Click "Read More" for the details...

Author

I have been baking breads, pies, cakes, and other treats ever since I was old enough to turn on the oven by myself. Although baking is my first love, I'm pretty good at the other stuff too! Over the years I have prepared everything from a pot of beans, to a whole roasted pig over an open fire! Living along the Russian River in Sonoma county, surrounded by the countless California vineyards, orchards, wineries, and family farms is the inspiration for much of what you will read and see here. This blog is also home to some of my favorite traditional family recipes. There is always something new going on in my kitchen. Be sure to stop by often. Sincerely, -Carlos Olmos (a.k.a Chop)